Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Matt_22]

just received a job offer from a school in daechi. no housing but there is a 700k won/month stipend (no key deposit though). is it possible to find a decent place in the area with this?

[rothkowitz]

Try an OK hotel on a monthly/long term rate.

No key money in Gangnam won't get you much.

[Gwangjuboy]

There are places in gangnam which don't require a deposit/key money but the monthly rent will be at least 900k per month. (that would be for an officetel too)

[SarcasmKills]

If you're willing to travel even 10 minutes on the subway.. that money can go a far way in getting you a decent place... but in Gangnam proper, don't expect much.

[unplugged_boy]

[rothkowitz]

A Goshiwon is similar to a closet?

Would the OP save money if they took that option in,say,Sadang, then commuted to Daechi each day?

[Matt_22]

hey, i'd be up for a 10-15 minute commute if it meant better housing. anyone have any suggestions? i don't care much about the status of living in daechi. i'd much rather have a bigger apartment that is preferably in a decent area.

[Matt_22]

what about an apartment in jongno-gu? would that be feasable with only 700k/month? or would that be too far away regardless? i'm not familiar with seoul at all, so sorry if it's a stupid question.

[Gwangjuboy]

The big problem is that irrespective of how much you offer a month it is going to be tough to find a landlord who is willing to rent a property out without a deposit. There are officetels(studio apartment) out there which don't require a deposit but the monthly rent would be around the million won mark. Unless you are prepared to pay that you will have no choice but to live in a goshiwon. They are generally very small, and the bathroom facilities are shared. That could possibly mean sharing a bathroom with 10-20 other people everyday. You need to put up a deposit. You can find a decent officetel with a deposit of 5 million won. In areas outside Gangnam you should expect to pay around 500k to 700k a month with that deposit. In Gangnam I guess it's in the 700k-1.2 million range.

[Gwangjuboy]

[SarcasmKills]

Big, Cheap Apartments with low deposits = Haebangchon

[blahblah]

I wouldn't recommend a Goshiwon unless you like sharing the bathroom and living in a closet.

I agree with prior replies that 5 million is the smallest key money deposit you'll find.

Unless you have the key money, try finding a roomate on one of the listings.